Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 | 7 p.m.
A basketball season which brings big expectations will be kicked off with the assistance of a big personality, as ESPN's Kenny Mayne - a former UNLV quarterback - will emcee the Rebels' FirstLook 2008 event on Oct. 17.
Oct. 17, of course is the first day NCAA basketball teams are allowed to practice officially for the upcoming season.
The event is free, and doors will open at 8:15 p.m. Practice will begin around 9:00 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mayne will emcee the event via video on the new board recently installed inside the home of the Rebels. The first 800 people to the event will receive a free FirstLook 2008 t-shirt, courtesy of U.S. Army Healthcare.
The event is part of UNLV's Homecoming Week and is held on "Rebel Red Day," the night prior to Saturday's homecoming football game against Air Force.
"We hope fans will treat this event as they would a game," said UNLV coach Lon Kruger. "This is about setting a tone for the season. We need to continue making the Thomas & Mack Center one of the toughest environments in the nation for opponents to come to. This is our fans' first practice of the season as well.
"The hope is to carry the excitement level in the arena that evening to the football game the following night. That will be a fun weekend to be a Rebel fan."
Before the start of practice, there will be a ring ceremony for returning players and coaches to receive their championship rings from the 2008 Mountain West Conference Tournament. Special video segments will also be shown, and interactive elements will take place involving the cheerleaders and Rebel Girls. Also, a UNLV student will get the opportunity to shoot hoops to have a year of college tuition fully paid, courtesy of U.S. Army Healthcare Services.
"Our goal is to continue building a program," Kruger said. "As we improve on the court, we want to challenge our fans to up their game in the crowd as well. This is going to be a fun night and we want Rebel fans to create and share in the excitement. Our players genuinely appreciate and feed off the fans' enthusiasm.
FirstLook 2008 coincides with the UNLV Alumni Association 2008 Homecoming Dinner, which takes place earlier in the evening. Reserved seating will be held for attendees of the dinner who will make their way to the arena following the event.
Plus, this is UNLV's first opportunity to show off the new video equipment inside Thomas & Mack, including the center-hung scoreboard and video display, plus the ribbon boards and scorer's table display.
This is one of the most highly-anticipated season's for the Rebels in recent memory. Kruger's club went 27-8 in 2007-08, and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. UNLV lost only two seniors off of last year's roster, and returns four seniors this season, including Wink Adams, Joe Darger, René Rougeau and Mareceo Rutledge.
For ticket information, call 702-739-3267.
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